Falcons Women Stung By Steelbacks

The hosts won the toss and put the Falcons in to bat first. The Steelbacks impressed right from the off and immediately had Derbyshire in a lot of trouble. Jess Couser and Frances Lonsdale were both dismissed for ducks while Rebecca Duckworth could only reach a score of four before being bowled out by Ella Phillips. The visitors found themselves on 13-3 after 3.5 overs, but managed to at least gain a little momentum with the partnership between Lauren Kenvyn and Malisha Tennakoon.

However, the wicket of Tennakoon followed by the quick-fire run out of Aamna Khan for a duck left Derbyshire on 44-5 after 13.5 overs. The Falcons managed to avoid losing any further wickets for the remainder of their innings, but Northamptonshire’s accurate bowling meant that Derbyshire really struggled to increase their run rate.

At the end of their allotted 20 overs, Jon Dyson’s side could only reach 77-5, leaving the Steelbacks with a very modest target to chase down with the bat. Despite a tough time at the crease overall, Kenvyn impressed with an unbeaten 46, falling just shy of a second consecutive half century.

It was also going to be a very tough ask for the Falcons to try and win the game from this position, and so it proved to be the case, as the hosts cruised to victory with 40 balls remaining. This was thanks in main to Gemma Marriott’s rapid knock of 49 from 37 deliveries. Despite falling to a comprehensive defeat, the Falcons can at least take heart that their bowling attack only allowed one Steelbacks player to reach double figures with the bat.

While Kenvyn impressed with the bat for Derbyshire, Rhiannon Knowling-Davies was certainly the stand-out Falcons performer with the ball. She claimed excellent figures of 3-15 from her four overs, which included the big wicket of Marriott to prevent her from securing a half century.

At the time of writing, Derbyshire Falcons Women sit in eighth position out of nine teams in League Two of the Women’s Vitality Blast, with two wins and three defeats from their opening five games in the competition.

Intriguingly, Jon Dyson’s side must now switch their attention to the third round of the Vitality Women’s T20 County Cup, where a victory would see them advance to the quarter-finals of the tournament in what would be a major achievement.

The Falcons will come up against very familiar opponents as they will take on Northamptonshire Steelbacks Women once again. On this occasion, Derbyshire will be the hosts as they aim to seek revenge on the Steelbacks at The Copper Yard in Denby on Sunday 21st June. The match starts at 2:30pm.